Child shirt with protective patch

ABSTRACT

A child shirt for protection against skin irritation resulting from food spillage and dribble is disclosed. The child shirt comprises a moisture proof area laminated onto a chest region of the child shirt and a moisture proof collar area laminated onto a collar region of the child shirt. The moisture proof area includes a thin moisture proof fabric sewn onto a chest sized panel of shirt fabric. The thin moisture proof fabric incorporates a light weight plastic layer. The moisture proof collar area also includes a thin moisture proof fabric sewn onto a shirt fabric. When worn by a child, the moisture proof areas occupy an area directly beneath the child&#39;s chin and spans an area that may contact liquid and solid spills thereby keeping the child shirt dry. The child shirt may be machine washable and the moisture proof areas may be permanently attached.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a child shirt, and more particularly to a child shirt with a moisture proof area for protection against skin irritation resulting from food spillage and dribble.

DISCUSSION OF RELATED ART

Infants drool more and chew continuously on food, toys, and other objects to alleviate gum irritation at teething time. The alkaline properties of saliva may cause a condition called ‘irritant contact dermatitis’ commonly referred to as dribble rash on the child's chin and chest area. This condition may cause discomfort, redness, itching, swelling, and blistering on the child's affected area.

Children frequently spill formula, juice, milk, and other food items onto their clothes. The liquid and moisture subsequently seep through clothes onto the child's skin. In combination with the aforementioned drooling, the effect is a constantly damp area around a child's neckline and chest area.

There are a variety of methods to protect a child's clothing from food spillage. Paper napkins and small feeding bibs are commonly used. A bib to cover the clothing of an infant has been proposed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,269,856, 7,143,448, and 6,308,333. Though it is convenient and simple way to protect the child's clothing from common spillage, it is often ineffective because in order for a bib to work properly it must be tied tightly around the child's neck. Many children do not like wearing bibs for that reason and try to remove them. Furthermore, conventional bibs pose a hazard because the cord can get caught on crib posts, toys, and furniture, among other things, and pose a threat of strangulation to the child. In addition, such conventional bibs can potentially block the child's breathing if the bib covers the child's face or mouth. Velcro® and/or other attachment means can cause irritation to the child's neck resulting in a rash.

A bib having an attached roll of soft, absorbent fabric to catch the liquid is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,666,665 issued to Morgado on Sep. 16, 1997. The outside of the roll has Velcro® patches that allow positioning on the bib wherever is needed to catch the drips. Such an attachment roll is not a successful covering for the child's clothing as it limits the area that can be protected thereby not eliminating the chance of moisture seeping through the clothing. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,216,269 issued to Smith on Apr. 17, 2007 discloses a combination garment bib system that includes a garment having an absorbent layer and a bib having an absorbent layer that is attachable to the garment with a hook. Since the bib is attached with a hook to the garment, there may be a tendency for the child to pull the bib from the garment often.

Several protective bibs having pocket panel are known for catching spilled food or liquid. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,058,506 issued to Reinhart on May 9, 2000, provides a bib having an improved pocket that is formed by a pocket panel disposed adjacent a body panel. A longitudinally extending crease is disposed in at least one of the pocket panel and the body panel. However, spilled food materials collect in the pocket panel and are difficult to remove. This debris commonly gets lodged into the creases and corners of the pocket causing unpleasant odors and unsanitary conditions.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,181,771 issued to Naehu on Feb. 27, 2007, discloses a garment designed to protect the clothing of a child from drink spills which is constructed by two pieces, a back flap and a lower piece. The back flap covers the upper back and shoulders of the child wearing the garment and provides a counterbalance to the lower piece, which covers the arms, body, and leg portion of the child. However, this is still an ineffective and uneconomical solution as the multiple piece design requires expensive material and makes the garment heavy for the child.

Therefore, there is a need for a moisture proof protective patch made of light weight material to be attached to a child garment without the requirement of cords to protect a child's skin from irritation resulting from food spillage and dribble. Further, such a device would be covering the chest and collar regions of the child garment with a moisture proof area thereby leaving the child dry and comfortable, regardless of spillage. Such a needed device would be machine washable, reusable, and cost-effective. The present invention accomplishes these objectives.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a child shirt for protection against skin irritation resulting from food spillage and dribble. The child shirt comprises a moisture proof area laminated onto a chest region of the child shirt and a moisture proof collar area laminated onto a collar region of the child shirt. The moisture proof area may include a thin moisture proof fabric sewn onto a chest sized panel of shirt fabric. The thin moisture proof fabric may incorporate a light weight plastic layer such as polyurethane, polyurethane-coated nylon, or the like. Similar to the moisture proof area, the moisture proof collar area may also include a thin moisture proof fabric sewn onto a shirt fabric.

When worn by the child, the moisture proof area may occupy an area directly beneath the child's chin and spans an area that may contact dribble, drink, chewed food, and the like. Fluid and wet solids come in contact with the moisture proof area thereby keeping the child shirt dry and protecting the child's skin. In the preferred embodiment, the child shirt may be machine washable and the moisture proof area may be permanently attached.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front plan view of a child shirt with a moisture proof area laminated onto a chest region of the child shirt and a moisture proof collar area laminated onto a collar region of the child shirt;

FIG. 2 is a front plan view of the child shirt showing a blow up view of the moisture proof area; and

FIG. 3 is a front plan view of the child shirt provided with another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 shows a child shirt 10 for protection against skin irritation resulting from food spillage and dribble. The child shirt 10 comprises a moisture proof area 12 laminated onto a chest region 14 of the child shirt 10 and a moisture proof collar area 16 laminated onto a collar region 18 of the child shirt 10. The present invention provides a convenient way to protect a child's clothing from food spillage, dribble, and the consequences that may ensue thereof.

FIG. 2 is a front plan view of the child shirt 10 showing a blow up view of the moisture proof area 12. The moisture proof area 12 may include a thin moisture proof fabric 20 sewn onto a chest sized panel of shirt fabric 22. The thin moisture proof fabric 20 may incorporate a light weight plastic layer 24 such as polyurethane, polyurethane-coated nylon, or the like. Similar to the moisture proof area 12, the moisture proof collar area 16 may also include a thin moisture proof fabric (not shown) sewn onto a shirt fabric (not shown).

When worn by the child, the moisture proof areas 12 and 16 may occupy an area directly beneath the child's chin and spans an area that may contact dribble, drink, chewed food, and the like. Fluid and wet solids come in contact with the moisture proof areas 12 and 16 thereby keeping the child shirt 10 dry and protecting the child's skin. In the preferred embodiment, the child shirt 10 may be machine washable and the moisture proof area 12 may be permanently attached.

Referring to FIG. 3, another embodiment of the present invention may include the child shirt 10 with a moisture proof area 26 that spans an entire front side 28 of the child shirt 10. The moisture proof area 26 may include a thin moisture proof fabric (not shown) sewn onto a shirt sized panel of shirt fabric (not shown). A strip of thin moisture proof fabric sewn onto a shirt fabric 30 may be laminated to a collar region 32 of the child shirt 10.

Still another embodiment of the invention may include an adhesive backed moisture proof area that can be easily affixed onto the chest region 14 or the entire front side 28 of the child shirt 10. Yet another embodiment of the invention provides a moisture proof area that can be sewn across a chest region 14 of the child shirt 10. Still yet another embodiment of the invention provides a moisture proof area that can be removed if soiled or damaged and facilitates to attach a new moisture proof area that can be attached by an attachment means such as a stitch, zipper, hook and loop fastener (Velcro®), snaps, or the like.

While a particular form of the invention has been illustrated and described, it will be apparent that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is not intended that the invention be limited, except as by the appended claims. 

1. A child shirt for protection against skin irritation resulting from food spillage and dribble, comprising: a moisture proof area laminated onto a chest region of the child shirt; and a moisture proof collar area laminated onto a collar region of the child shirt; whereby the moisture proof area and moisture proof collar area may protect the child's skin from liquid and solid spills by keeping the child shirt dry.
 2. The child shirt of claim 1 wherein the moisture proof area may include a thin moisture proof fabric sewn onto a chest sized panel of shirt fabric.
 3. The child shirt of claim 2 wherein the thin moisture proof fabric may incorporate a light weight plastic layer such as polyurethane, polyurethane-coated nylon, or the like.
 4. The child shirt of claim 1 wherein the moisture proof collar area may include a thin moisture proof fabric sewn onto a shirt fabric. 